Ronstan Aquires Andersen Winches

What do the Australians have in common with the Danish? Although, that sounds like the beginning of a bad joke the truth is far from a joke. Today we learned that one of our favorite companies, Australian based Ronstan, has acquired one of our favorite winch manufacturers, the Danish based Frederik Andersen Maskinfabrik. Big deal you say? Well, it is. Ronstan has long been a leader in performance sailing hardware but they didn”t have a winch range to complete their offering. With the acquisition of the phenomenal Andersen winch range they do now. We have been selling Ronstan since day 1 of APS and a few years ago added the Anderson winch range to our offering because they are some of the best winches being made. We applaud this move and think it will prove to be a good one for all parties. Stay tuned for more news as the 2010 Annapolis Boat Show (read circus) is in town and we”re sure to be getting more juicy news over the next 7 days. What follows is the official press release from Ronstan…

Ronstan Acquires Andersen Winches

Australian-based sailboat hardware manufacturer Ronstan International has acquired Frederik Andersen Maskinfabrik, the Danish manufacturer best known for the enduring quality and beautiful finish of their signature Andersen Winches.

In the 50 years since the first winch was produced for the Dragon class, the company has built a reputation for excellence and expertise in stainless steel winches. Today’s range of Andersen Winches includes self tailing sheet winches and capstan models in manual, electric and hydraulic versions.

Annette Andersen Lau commented “After three generations of family ownership this is a real change of pace, and Ronstan is taking over a company and a team of employees that is ready for any challenge. Andersen Winches is clearly a great strategic fit with Ronstan and I’m sure it will be a winning combination.”

“Andersen Winches are the perfect complement to Ronstan deck hardware”, says Ronstan’s Managing Director Alistair Murray. “The company’s experience in winch design and manufacture are a natural extension to Ronstan’s expertise in hardware, and we look forward to the broader possibilities that we can offer to our customers with the combined product range.”

In addition to its manufacturing activities in Australia, Ronstan has been producing specialist sailboat hardware in Denmark since its acquisition of Frederiksen Boat Fittings in 2001. Thomas Meyer, currently General Manager of Ronstan Denmark Aps, takes over management responsibility for all Danish operations, with all Ronstan Denmark and Andersen Winches employees continuing in their current roles.

Murray adds, “Ronstan is owned by its management, and we continue to invest in our future at a time when others are standing still or sliding backward. As the economy and the industry pull out of the recent downturn, we are aiming to emerge stronger than ever.”

Ronstan is based in Melbourne and has 180 employees world-wide. In addition to Sydney, Brisbane, and Fremantle it has offices in Rhode Island, California and Florida USA as well as Southampton in the UK, and Vejle, Denmark.